Museum in the Classroom Loan Kit Program

Are you looking for an interactive learning experience for your students to enhance curriculum in your classroom? Then look no further than the "Museum in the Classroom" loan kit program.

Think of a loan kit as a museum in a box. Each thematic kit contains relevant artifacts and reproductions, as well as suggested activities for use in your classroom. Themes include: native lifeways, early settler life, the Civil War, the Great Depression, and World War II. Multiple copies of most loan kits are available, and most activities can be adjusted for various ages and skill levels.

3 Ways to Use a Loan Kit:

You can borrow a kit for up to 2 weeks to use on your own in your classroom (teacher must pick up kit at the Museum and return it to the Museum when finished).

A Museum educator can deliver the kit to your classroom and introduce your students to the contents of the kit through an in-class program, after which you may keep the kit for use in your classroom for up to 2 weeks.

A Museum educator can bring the kit to your classroom for a one-time exploration of the theme and contents of the kit.

Please make reservations at least three weeks in advance. For reservations contact the Education Department at (309) 827-0428 or via email ateducation@mchistory.org

This program is made possible through the Estate of Laura Sullivan.

Loan Kits

Pioneer Life

Students will discover what life was like when the first white settlers came to McLean County almost 200 years ago by engaging with period artifacts that were used in the everyday lives of these settlers. Artifacts include clothing, kitchen tools, toys, and more. By investigating what life was like in Illinois in the the mid-1800s, students will have a better understanding of the economic, social, and technological changes that have occurred over time.

Ex. Program Taught by Museum Educator:

Moving to a new home can be tough, even today. Students will learn about what it took o move across state lines in a covered wagon loaded down with supplies by "loading" their own imaginary wagon. Students will put themselves in the shoes of a settler and ask themselves whether an item is a truly "need" or simply a "want."

Grades: Activities and use of objects can be adapted for any age.

Learning Goals:

This program satisfies various Illinois Social Science standards by encouraging students to consider and determine answers to essential questions, to verbally communicate their inquiries and conclusions, and to address the ideas of change, continuity, and context.

Kickapoo of McLean County

Students will be introduce to the traditions and lifeways of groups native to McLean County, including the Kickapoo—the last native tribe to reside in McLean County. Artifacts in the kit include: stone tools, clothing, toys and games, trade items, and more.

Ex. Program Taught by Museum Educator:
Through hands-on engagement with period artifacts, including tools, clothing, food, toys, games, and more, students will get a gain a sense of what life was like for a Kickapoo in McLean County before and after white settlement. Activities include playing two traditional games: the hoop and dart game, and the bone and stick game; and learning how to use a pump drill.

Grades: Activities and use of objects can be adapted for any age.

Learning Goals:

This program satisfies various Illinois Social Science standards by encouraging students to consider and determine answers to essential questions, to verbally communicate their inquiries and conclusions, and to address the ideas of change, continuity, and context.

Journey Through the Great Depression

The Great Depression was the longest, and most far-reaching, period of economic turmoil of the 20th Century. Through the objects and activities included in this kit, students will investigate how the Great Depression not only affected the nation, but more specifically the residents of McLean County. Topics include New Deal programs, rural life, entertainment, and more.

Ex. Program Taught by Museum Educator:Students will learn about buying and bartering by "Shopping during the Great Depression" to see how far they can stretch their limited dollars.

Grades: 6-12

Learning Goals:

This program satisfies various Illinois Social Science standards by encouraging students to consider and determine answers to essential questions, to verbally communicate their inquiries and conclusions, and to address the ideas of change, continuity, and context.

To Sustain the Union

This loan kit features materials detailing soldiers’ lives, battle tactics and home life during the Civil War, with many cross disciplinary activities and role-playing strategy games. Students will become acquainted with people from Illinois who lived during the Civil War and learn about what impact they had on life on the home front. They will also discover the geographic, social, and economic impacts this war had on it’s civilians.

Ex. Program Taught by Museum Educator:
Students will learn about life as a soldier during the Civil War through various activity choices, including: analyzing a selection of letters written by George and Hattie Ela—a young couple in love during the war; learning Morse Code; or investigating objects a soldier would have carried in their knapsack during wartime.

Grades: 5-8

Learning Goals:

This program satisfies various Illinois Social Science standards by encouraging students to consider and determine answers to essential questions, to verbally communicate their inquiries and conclusions, to address the ideas of change, continuity, and context, and to contemplate changes in political processes.

Architecture of Downtown Bloomington

Using Downtown Bloomington as a case study, students will become familiar with various facets of urban architecture, including: how cities are built, who the architects were who designed the many buildings in Downtown Bloomington, and how to identify a range of architectural design elements. Other themes include: commerce, preservation, and renewal.

Grades: 3-8

Learning Goals:

This program satisfies various Illinois Social Science standards by encouraging students to evaluate historic source material, to consider the economic incentives of a downtown district, and to more generally address the ideas of change, continuity, and context, as well as place.

McLean County During World War II

Through a variety of activities, students will learn about the diverse experiences of McLean County citizens during World War II. Such experiences include those of soldiers, women, African Americans, and children. Students can experience the struggles of rationing by planning meals and cooking a ration recipe, or design a wartime comic book character, or create a faux Facebook page for a student during that time, or create a propaganda poster to promote the war effort. All activities are designed to draw attention to the realities of wartime in McLean County. A rich selection of primary source documents are included.

Grades: 8-12

Learning Goals:

This program satisfies various Illinois Social Science standards by encouraging students to consider and determine answers to essential questions, to verbally communicate their inquiries and conclusions, to defend said conclusions with supportive evidence, to address the ideas of change, continuity, and context, and to better understand the global interactions between the people of McLean County and the rest of the world.

To Reserve a Kit:

Call the Museum Education Department at (309) 827-0428 or contact us at education@mchistory.org. Reservations are required at least three weeks in advance. Teachers must pick up and return Loan Kits to the Museum.